ISRAEL'S REBUTTAL OF KERRY'S EFFORTS TO BRING PEACE

 

As Secretary of State John Kerry prepares for a fresh round of talks to try and hammer out a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian government, new voices reveal that his efforts are met with, to say the least, ridicule.

Defense minister Moshe Yaalon went on air to label Secretary Kerry a 'messianic' figure, in other words a person enamored with his own ideal of a peacemaker, with a self serving objective that has nothing to do with real peace.  Yaalon went to far as to say that Kerry should be given the Nobel prize so he would go away and leave Israel alone.

These statement reiterate the suspicion in many abroad, that Israel is not serious about coming to an ultimate, and lasting peace.

Kerry's determination and push to resolve the stalemate between Israel and the Palestinian Government is seen as born from a personal obsession and not from a true 'understanding' of the needs of Israel.

Kerry is pushing for the establishment of a two-state solution, something that most see as the only durable solution for a lasting peace. 

One of the sticking points is the continued push by Netahyahu to expand Jewish settlement in areas that are considered Palestinian territory.  Even the wall that was erected in many areas has been built beyond the green line and has resulted in the expropriation of hundreds of acres of land on the Palestinian side.  

The settlements moreover are considered illegal by most observers worldwide, since they are beyond the boundaries of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

More damaging was Yaalon's own statement that the peace agreement drawn up by the US, the peace plan that would be the centerpiece of the April talks, is 'not worth the paper it's written on".  The Defense Minister has balked at the redacted document for in his mind, it does not address issues of security for the state of Isreal. 

To make matters worse, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz has agreed in a radio program with most of the content of Yaalon's statements.  

 Op-Ed

Source : NBC news/1.14.14